MLB: Cain records perfect game for San Francisco Giants

San Francisco star equals record for punchouts in day dominated by pitchers.

SAN FRANCISCO, CA - JUNE 13: Matt Cain #18 of the San Francisco Giants pitches against the Houston Astros during the ninth inning at AT&T Park on June 13, 2012 in San Francisco, California. The San Francisco Giants defeated the Houston Astros 10-0. Matt Cain pitched a perfect game while stricking out a career-high 14, and was the first in Giants franchise history.   Jason O. Watson/Getty Images/AFP== FOR NEWSPAPERS, INTERNET, TELCOS & TELEVISION USE ONLY ==
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Matt Cain pitched a perfect game to lead the San Francisco Giants to a 10-0 win over the Houston Astros.

Cain hurled 125 pitches, striking out 14 to equal a record, set by Sandy Koufax, for punchouts in a perfect game.

"I don't know if I felt something special [pre-game], but I definitely felt good," Cain told www.mlb.com. "I felt like I was able to locate my splitter and I had a good rhythm in the bullpen.

"In between the lines, I felt like I knew what I was doing with my fastball.

"It obviously worked out right."

It was the 22nd perfect game in MLB history and the second this season following Philip Humber's effort for the Chicago White Sox against the Seattle Mariners in April.

Gregor Blanco and Brandon Belt each homered and drove in three in support of Cain, who got his eighth win of the season and lowered his ERA to 2.18.

Cain's heroics rather overshadowed the efforts of RA Dickey, who was ruthlessly efficient as his one-hitter helped the New York Mets to a 9-1 win over the Tampa Bay Rays.

Dickey, who needed just 106 pitches, struck out 12 and did not walk a batter, allowing a single unearned run in the ninth and an infield hit in the first.

Lance Lynn also struck out 12, hurling 7 1/3 scoreless innings in the St Louis Cardinals' 1-0 win over the Chicago White Sox.

He got all the run support he needed in the shape of Carlos Beltran's solo homer in the third, inflicting a loss on the luckless Jake Peavy.

Both Lynn and Dickey reached a league-leading 10 wins on the season.

And in a night of strong pitching performances, Matt Harrison's 7 1/3 scoreless frames helped the Texas Rangers beat the Arizona Diamondbacks 1-0.

Craig Gentry drove in the only run in the eighth, making a winner of Mike Adams.

Yonder Alonso's homer in the seventh handed the San Diego Padres a 1-0 success over the Seattle Mariners.

Eric Aybar's first long ball of the season, a one-run blast in the ninth, lifted the Los Angeles Angels to a 2-1 win over the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Curtis Granderson's two-run shot in the sixth led the New York Yankees to a 3-2 victory and three-game sweep of the Atlanta Braves.

Tyler Moore hit his first two home runs as the Washington Nationals beat the Toronto Blue Jays 6-2 for their sixth straight win and their second straight sweep.

David Ortiz homered and the Red Sox bats busted out of a slump with a six-run eighth in Boston's 10-2 victory over the Miami Marlins.

Brandon Inge's two-run double highlighted a three-run ninth for the Oakland Athletics, who rallied to beat the Colorado Rockies 10-8.

The Kansas City Royals outlasted the Milwaukee Brewers for an 11-inning 4-3 win, while the Philadelphia Phillies used a six-run first to edge past the Minnesota Twins 9-8.

The Cincinnati Reds beat the Cleveland Indians 5-3, the Baltimore Orioles were 7-1 winners over the Pittsburgh Pirates and the Detroit Tigers saw off the Chicago Cubs 8-4.

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